This easy and hearty recipe for cheesy cauliflower casserole will have everyone asking for a second serving of vegetables!
Why you will LOVE this veggie recipe
I’m guessing it’s not often that the folks around your supper table ask for seconds of vegetables (unless mashed potatoes are involved, and then all bets are off) but that is all about to change with this recipe for easy, hearty, cheesy cauliflower casserole.
Full of tender cauliflower and baked in a creamy, dreamy cheese sauce, it gives a macaroni and cheese vibe but with vegetable goodness.
And while it is the perfect side for grilled chicken or steak, in my house it as has also been eaten all by its gorgeous self, because I’m here to tell you that this is one of the times that the vegetable is going to take center stage. Let’s make it!
ingredients you need to make This casserole
Here’s how you make cheesy cauliflower casserole!
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
STEP 1: First you need a nice big head of cauliflower.
Cauliflower is a weird and wonderful vegetable, don’t you think? It looks like a bouquet of flowers from another planet. A super delicious bouquet of flowers.
STEP 2: You want to cut that cauliflower up into nice bite-sized florets (and here’s a great piece on how to cut up a cauliflower) and steam those florets until they are nice and tender.
STEP 3: Preheat your oven to 400 and find a nice big casserole dish – 9 x 13 is great if you have one.
STEP 4: While the cauliflower is steaming, stir up a quick and easy cheese sauce by melting 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring in 2 tablespoons of flour, then whisking in 1 cup of milk until things are slightly thickened.
STEP 5: Stir in a cup of cheddar cheese until it is nice and melted and smooth.
STEP 6: Spread the cauliflower out in your casserole dish, pour the cheese sauce over it, grind on a little fresh pepper and bake for 30 minutes.
Cool it off for a little bit (I know! So hard!) and then you are ready to serve up what is about to be your new favorite vegetable recipe.
cheesy cauliflower casserole FAQ
If you have a steamer basket, pop the cauliflower in the basket, settle the basket in a pot with a couple of inches of water, cover it with the pot lid, bring the water to a boil and steam until the cauliflower is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. No steamer basket? A strainer will work just fine as a substitute.
You can! Just make sure it is a meltable kind – Monterey Jack, Swiss and Muenster are all good options. Just make sure it is chopped or shredded.
It can! When you are ready to serve it up, bring it to room temperature and then pop it in a 350 oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Leave your question in the comment section below and I will get back to you pronto!
You’re running out to get a cauliflower right now, aren’t you? Me too!
OTHER CAULIFLOWER RECIPES WE LOVE!
 Fancy up your cauliflower by steaming it whole and dressing it up with this recipe for a quick and creamy blue cheese sauce! |
 This easy, healthy recipe for Hearty Chicken Cauliflower Soup will warm you up inside and out. Thick and creamy with exactly zero cream! |
 Shake up your usual lunch with this easy and pretty healthy recipe for cauliflower tuna salad! |
Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
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Pin RecipeDescription
This easy and hearty recipe for cheesy cauliflower casserole will have everyone asking for a second serving of vegetables!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Steam cauliflower florets until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 and butter a casserole.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Whisk in flour until well mixed.
- Whisk in milk and simmer until slightly thickened. Take off the heat and stir in cheese until smooth.
- Spread cauliflower in the casserole and pour the cheese sauce on top. Grind some pepper over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, cool slightly and serve.
Notes
Cauliflower: You can use frozen cauliflower in a pinch, but this recipe is at its very best when you use fresh cauliflower. It’s available pretty much all the time in the produce section of your grocery store.
Cheddar Cheese: Cheddar comes in various flavor varieties from mild to extra sharp. I like sharp cheddar for this recipe, but you can use any kind you like. You can also shred it yourself or get the bag of pre-shredded cheddar in the dairy section of your supermarket.
I’m generally a person who can’t have enough cheese. At Olive Garden I’m the one who asks for more cheese on my pasta, and if they didn’t look at me awkwardly I’d probably never say “That’s enough.” So this is a perfect side dish for me. Plus cauliflower is awesome and it seems so underrated. I can’t wait to try this!
Wow! The name of this dish itself is making me drool, Kate. Indeed cauliflower is a delicious bouquet of flowers. Lovely share! :)
Cauliflower is one of my favorite veggies, though I often forget to cook with it. Part of the reason is because my husband doesn’t like it, but that just means more for me. This casserole looks SO good, Kate! I wouldn’t mind keeping this all to myself!
I’ve had this! It was a long time ago in the U.K. and they called it “cauliflower cheese.” And it’s the best. It’s healthier than mac and cheese but just as (or more) delicious. I’m such a fan!!
Gimme all the cauliflower Kate! This looks so deliciously cheesy! And so easy! Count me in!
i’ll be the first to admit that cauliflower needs a little bit of help in the flavor department, and this is a fine assist! i would LOVE this!
This looks incredibly tasty, I want to try this recipe out! Thanks for the share.
Forget seconds, Kate! I can tell you already I will want 4ths and 5ths of this casserole! Better yet, I want to make this casserole my dinner. Just me, this cheesy deliciousness and a shovel. :) Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables, so this is totally screaming my name! Perfectly cozy, comforting and ultimately delicious! Love it! Cheers, friend! xo
Uh, yeah, if I had this on my table, I’d be asking for seconds too, Kate! Love how cheesy, warm and golden this looks. :) Thanks for sharing another keeper! Pinning. :)
I love this! I have a huge soft spot for cheesy veggies and wound go to town on this casserole. Forget seconds, I’m taking the entire pan!!
I love cauliflower and casseroles (they’re so comforting!) but I’ve never combined the two! Can’t wait to try this :)
Would you be able to freeze those recipe before baking? Sounds amazing!
Hey Jen! I’ve never tried freezing it, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work just fine. If you try it will you let us know how it came out?
Hi Kate!
This looks delicious! What size casserole dish do you recommend for this? 8×8 or 9×13?
I usually use 9×13. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Can this be done in a crock pot or slow cooker???
I wish I could say yes, but I worry that the cauliflower would get too mushy. I did find this recipe from Betty Crocker that has cauliflower in the slow cooker – it looks like they recommending cooking it first, which mine does too, and then basically heating it in the slow cooker for a few hours. So, maybe? http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/slow-cooker-cheesy-cauliflower/f19be60b-9482-400c-8f09-7984200b15b1
I made this last night and it was soooo good! I used 3/4 cup cheddar and 1/4 cup Italian cheese blend. Also added 1/2 tsp minced garlic (the wet kind from the jar), and the peppercorn medley that comes in a grinder.
It was just my husband and myself eating this, and we ate over half of it last night with some pork chops. I had some of the leftover for breakfast, that’s how good it is! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
I love your variations on this one, Sabrina! And yes, we know we have a hit on our hands when we eat it for breakfast. :) :)
What a delicious yet EASY dish! Yummmmm..
Thanks so much Carlotta! It is just as good (dare I say it?) as mac and cheese!
Can this be but together the day before or made earlier in the day and then baked at dinner time?
Hi Jo Ann! I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see any reason why not. I would let it come to room temp before you bake it. Happy Thanksgiving!
What is this best served with????
Hi Jerrica! It is a great side dish for roasted chicken or steak, but it’s also a great vegetarian main dish (think mac and cheese, only with cauliflower!)
Great recipe, thanks! It’s perfect like it is, but I added a dash of cayenne pepper because that’s how I like macaroni and cheese. Best thing on the table : )
LOVE the cayenne pepper addition – I’m going to try that! :)
My husband made this for dinner and it was delicious.
5 stars.
5 stars! I’m so glad! :)
This was delicious!! My husband and I nearly ate the whole casserole!???? Yum…mmy!! Definitely a keeper. Thank you!????????
We have been known to devour a whole casserole in my house too! Yay!
My boyfriend and I absolutely love this dish! It is one thing that I was able to follow the recipe and not have any issues on the first try! Do you think it would be ok to bake longer at a lower temp (350)? The main dish I was planning is a 350 temperature to bake, but I really wanted to pair this with it so I didn’t know if just going longer at the lower temp would be ok.
★★★★★
Hey Kari! I think that would be just fine. The cauliflower is already cooked, so you are baking mainly to heat and brown the cheese sauce. I would leave it in for another 10 to 15 minutes. Happy cooking! :)
★★★★★
I made this tonight as a side dish with turkey tenderloins. It was super easy to make and my ‘I don’t like cauliflower husband’ really liked it, too. Win!
Hurray! I love it when we get to bring someone over to the “cauliflower side!” :)
Sounds delicious and getting ready to make.
★★★★★
Hope you loved it as much as we do!
I’m a cauliflower lover! This is the easiest, best recipe EVER!! Thanks for sharing!!
Hurray! I’m so glad you like it!
I have made this recipe like 10 times over the last couple months! I use almond flour and heavy whipping cream yo make it keto friendly. Its so gooooood!!!!! Perfect side dish!! Even my picky kids gobble this up! Thanks so much!!!
★★★★★
Aimmie! I love your changes, and that you took the time to leave me this sweet note – glad your family likes it!
I was thinking the same thing. Did you use equal parts almond flour verses regular flour?
I would use an equal amount. :)
Trying to do low carbs so anyway I can leave out the flour? Maybe if I used light cream instead of milk the suave will be thick enough?
Hi Tiffanie! Honestly I’ve never tried it that way, but I do think if you use cream (I would try whipping cream) it could work!
Hi Kate,
What size dish do I bake this in? I’m going to be doubling the recipe.
Thanks.
Hi Kelly! I would use a 13×9 inch casserole if you are doubling it.
Thank you! Looking forward to my family trying thus!
What type of cheddar cheese do you recommend for this: mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp?
Thanks
Hi Tara! We like a really cheesy flavor so I always use sharp, but medium would also be fine.
I’ve taken this to a few carry-ins and have had requests to bring it the following year. Everyone loves it!
Karen! Thanks so much for letting me know! It’s one of our all time favorites in our house. :)
Love cauliflower and cheese. When I go to back the dish should I cover it?
★★★★★
Nope, no need to cover it – you want that nice brown crust. :)
Keto friendly when i delete flour and use several different cheeses with cream.
★★★★
Great to know! Which cheeses, Tracy?
tasted great but was a little too mushy, going to cut down the pre-boiling of the cauliflower by 5 minutes and see if this is better
★★★★
I made this last night for my very picky husband and stepson. I doubled the recipe and used half cheddar and half swiss. It brought out the creaminess of the sauce. I used heavy cream instead of milk, because we tried to do low-carbs. There are so many low-carb recipes that try to hide the cauliflower or make it seem like something else. This recipe highlights the cauliflower. I added some parsley and a little garlic powder into the cream sauce before pouring it over to the cauliflower. The cooking time that you mention was exactly perfect. I was worried this would be a greasy mess because I used heavy cream, but it was not. This will definitely be a repeat because my stepdaughters are vegetarians.
★★★★★
Renee! Thanks for telling us how it came out – I always love to see how folks vary up my recipes, and your additions sound terrific! :)
Great recipe I will prepare and take to a pot lunch for a family affair, it’s perfect Thanks
Chef Ernie
★★★★★
Thanks Chef Ernie! I hope you love it as much as our family does!
How many carbs?
Hi Bonnie! I wish I could help, but I’m not at the point where I’m able to provide nutritional info on my recipes – sorry about that!
The SIMPLE TASTY Old Fashion way…..so simple and so easy. Makes this enjoyable to create. Haven’t baked it yet, did all stages except final which is place in oven. Which I will do tomorrow. So you know I tasted the CHEESE SAUCE in the recipe felt like eating it plain that’s how YUMMY!
★★★★★
Well, you HAVE to always taste cheese sauce in advance – I think it is a rule!! Hope you loved it even more when it came out of the oven! :)
I found this recipe not very flavorful. Using a cheese sauce instead of just cheese adds calories and not much in the way of flavor. It was okay, but I won’t use this recipe again
★★★
Hi Susan! I’m sorry to hear that this one didn’t work out for you! Here’s another of my favorite cauliflower recipes – no cheese, but lots of flavor with the rosemary! And thanks for reaching out to me – I appreciate all kinds of feedback! :) https://www.framedcooks.com/2013/12/rosemary-roasted-cauliflower.html
Do you think I could use frozen steamable cauliflower
Hi Jamie and yes! You can! Just steam them up the way you normally would and then pick up the recipe at Step 2. :)
Macaroni and cheese is my favorite dish. Cauliflower is m new macaroni. This was delicious. I just put the cheese on top.
Isn’t cauliflower the best? :)
Love Cauliflower! I’m trying all kinds of recipes with this yummy veggie. I made this and it is Devine. Really easy to make ..
★★★★
I’m so glad you liked it! :)
Mmmmm…… so good!! Best cauliflower ever!!
★★★★★
Aw, thanks Dolly! We love it too!
Super easy veggie recipe.Thanks.
Now to find a Broccoli and Bacon casserole.
Well, I just love the idea of a broccoli bacon casserole – I’ll need to work on one! :)
Can you make this the night before and refrigerate?
Absolutely! I would just let it come to room temperature before you pop it in the oven. :)
I’ve seen you can use steamed cauliflower, but what about frozen cauliflower?
Hi Laurie! You can use frozen cauliflower so long as it is thawed and pre-cooked!
My favorite casserole! Wonderfully cheesy and more similar to mashed potatoes than cheese over cauliflower.
★★★★★
Thanks Michelle – I’m so glad you like them!
Can I use Almond flour?
Hi Kendra! I’ve never made this dish with almond flour, but I believe you can use it. Here’s a handy link that talks about substituting almond flour for regular flour when you are thickening sauces like the one in this dish: https://www.ehow.com/info_12321912_can-thicken-cooking-juices-almond-flour.html
Loved the ease and flavor of this recipe
★★★★★
Thanks Julian! It’s one of our all time family faves. :)
I made this for my dinner, it was quick, easy and delicious. I added a clove of garlic to sauce and topped with cayenne pepper. Will make again!!
★★★★
Becki! Thanks so much for this sweet comment – and garlic DOES make everything better! Happy healthy new year! :)
This has become my go to cauliflower recipe! Have made it several times. It is good, easy, can be made ahead of time and ready to reheat. Yummy!
Christine! I am so happy to hear this – it’s probably the most requested side dish in our house. :) Happy cooking!
My favorite cauliflower recipe! I added sour cream this time and red pepper flakes. It was great! Thank you for the keeper!
★★★★★
Oooh, sour cream – I love that idea! Happy New Year, Michelle!
This was delicious! The only thing I did differently was to add buttered breadcrumbs on top before baking. Yum!!
★★★★★
Hi Judy and yum!! Love the buttered breadcrumbs idea! :)
I boil the hole head and pull it apart ❣️ love the recipe im thinking of thowing Italian bread crumbs on it next time i did add a pinch if garlic powder too the rue ❣️
★★★★★
I love the bread crumb idea Holly! And the garlic powder! :)
Holy cow – this is delish! I added four pieces of cooked thick cut bacon and sautéed some garlic cloves and added that to the sauce. Put a little extra black pepper on top and wow, it turned out great! And the aroma!!!! Wowzers!!!
★★★★★
Cathy! Thank you so much – I’m so glad you liked it, and I love love love your additions (especially the bacon!) :)
I really liked everything. Thanks, very helpful
★★★★★
Made this for company last night and it was a big hit with the guys…especially since they both said they didn’t like cauliflower! Doctored slightly but followed your recipe for the most part…thanks Kate, it was delish! [And they wanted to take the leftovers home 😜]
★★★★★
Well, YAY! I always love converting non-believers into cauliflower lovers! xoxo!
Ooooh… I’m thinking of adding some (cooked) sausage in and promoting this to a main course vs side dish!
Well I just LOVE that idea! Chicken apple sausage is my fave. :) Let me know how it turns out!